MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is planning to replace the current Hudson and Menomonie safety and weight enforcement facilities.
Construction began on Sept. 12 on the Hudson facility, located about 5.5 miles east of Hudson, Wisconsin, off the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94.
The existing Hudson Safey and Weight Enforcement Facility (SWEF) was built in 1993 and is about 5.5 miles east of Hudson off eastbound I-94.
Construction for the Menomonie facility, located about 5 miles east of Menomonie off the westbound lanes of I-94, will begin in 2024.
That facility was constructed in 1984.
“The existing facilities have reached the end of their service lives, and improvement projects are planned at both locations to provide the Wisconsin State Patrol with the tools to enforce commercial motor vehicle regulations, increase safety to the traveling public and protect WisDOT’s investment in infrastructure,” the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said in a presentation explaining the changes.
During construction, motorists can expect all lanes of traffic to be open along I-94 with limited lane closures during nonpeak travel times.
The Hudson SWEF improvement project is expected to cost $21.98 million and will include the following:
- Reconstructing the building to a new modern SWEF building.
- Reconstructing the parking lots and ramp/loop roadways.
- Constructing a new automated truck traffic monitoring system along eastbound I-94.
- Constructing a new virtual weigh station along US 12.
- Constructing an approximate 300-foot communications tower near the new building.
The Menomonie SWEF improvement project is expected to coast approximately $4-6 million and will include:
- Renovating and expanding the existing Menomonie SWEF building.
- Replacing the pavement in the parking lots and on the ramp/loop roadways.
- Constructing a new road salt and brine storage facility.
- Constructing a new virtual weigh station along westbound US 12/WIS 29.
- Constructing an approximate 200-foot communications tower near the renovated SWEF building.
- Constructing a remote truck pull-off adjacent to County B between Walton Avenue and 3M Drive in Dunn County.
A video showing an overview of the commercial motor vehicle inspection process performed by the Wisconsin State Patrol at modern SWEF sites is available.
Joseph Price has been a journalist for almost two decades. He began in community media in 2005 and has since worked at media outlets in Virginia and Arkansas. He is also a commercial drone pilot and video editor. He hosts a weekly community radio show focused on goth, metal and industrial music that airs Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. at www.kuhsradio.org.
